World Briefing | Europe: France: Foundation For Islam

By John Tagliabue (NYT)

Published: March 22, 2005

The government and Muslim leaders signed an agreement establishing a foundation to finance the development of Islam in France. Relying on private donations from France and abroad, the Foundation for Islam, as it will be known, will distribute money to build and renovate mosques and to train imams for the five million Muslims in the country. For years, Islam in France has been financed by foreign governments and donors, with little transparency or public oversight. The government has been seeking a greater degree of oversight without jeopardizing the country's separation of church and state. John Tagliabue (NYT)